Shoulder harness



g- 1955 A. v. SJODIN ET AL 2,715,989

SHOULDER HARNESS Filed May 2, 1952 INVENTORS AQNE \l. SJODN GEQALD T. MELBY United States Patent SHOULDER HARNESS Arne V. Sjodin, Minneapolis, and Gerald T. Melby, Robbinsdale, Minn.

Application lVIay 2, 1952, Serial No. 285,602

1 Claim. (Cl. 224-1) This invention relates to shoulder harnesses and more particularly to a shoulder harness for packing a gun or for trailing a load, such as a heavy game animal.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved shoulder harness which can be easily placed on the shoulders of a wearer and will firmly support a gun in upright position against the back of the wearer; which may be used to connect one end of a dragline to a person wearing the harness to enable such person to drag a load, such as a heavy game animal; which comfortably fits the wearer and equalizes the weight of a the gun or drag of the load on the wearers shoulders; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, and neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claim in conjunction with the accompanyin g drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary and somewhat diagrammatic back elevational view of a human figure showing a shoulder harness illustrative of the invention mounted on the figure and supporting a gun in upright position at the back of the figure;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the harness illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the harness in disconnected and straightened out condition; and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 3.

With continued reference to the drawing, the harness or gun sling comprises a gusset structure formed of a suitable flexible material, such as fabric webbing, or formed by the end portions of straps presently to be described, a first pair of straps 11 and 12 secured each at one end to the gusset structure 10 and extending from the latter in divergent relationship to each other to define over shoulder straps, and a second pair of straps 13 and 14 also secured each at one end to the gusset structure 10 and extending from the latter in divergent relationship to each other and to the straps 11 and 12 of the first pair to define under shoulder straps. The straps 13 and 14 of the second pair are disposed at respectively opposite sides of the first pair of straps and all of the straps are symmetrically arranged relative to a common center line of the harness when the harness is in its disconnected and straightened out condition, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Buckles 15 and 16 are secured to the straps 11 and 12 at the ends of the latter remote from the gusset structure 10 and receive the straps 13 and 14 respectively at the distal ends thereof to provide a pair of shoulder receiving loops 17 and 18 as shown in Figure 2, the straps 11, 12, 13 and 14 being of such length as to provide shoulder loops of the proper size when each strap 11 and 12 of the first pair of straps is adjustably connected at its distal end to the corresponding straps ice 13 and 14 respectively of the second pair of straps near the distal ends of the latter.

A cross strap 20 extends between and is secured at its ends to the straps 11 and 12 at a location intermediate the length of the latter straps, but nearer the buckles 15 and 16 than the gusset structure 10 and is disposed substantially perpendicular to the common center line of the two pair of straps.

The cross strap 20 is doubled, including two strap portions placed in face to face relationship with the strap portion 22 somewhat longer than the strap portion 21, as illustrated in Figure 4. The two strap portions 21 and 22 are sewed together at one side of the mid-length location of the cross strap, as indicated at 23, and a buckle 24 is slidably mounted thereon at the other side of the mid-length location to provide between the stitching 23 and the buckle 24 a loop 25 which is adapted to receive the barrel 26 of a gun 27 and which can be closed tightly around the barrel by slipping a portion of the strap member 22 through the buckle 24.

A binding or stock-embracing strap 30 is secured intermediate its length to the gusset structure 10 and extends transversely of this gusset structure substantially perpendicular to the center line of the harness, as shown in Figure 3. The binding strap 30 is shorter than the other straps of the harness and carries a buckle 31 on one end which slidably receives the other end portion of this strap. When the harness is used to carry a gun the binding strap 30 is bound tightly around the stock of the gun adjacent the grip portion 32 of the gunstock and connects the gun to the harness in a manner to support the gun on the back of a person wearing the harness. When the gunstock is bound to the gusset portion 10 of the harness by the binding strap 30 and the barrel of the gun extends through the loop 25 in the cross strap 20, the gun is supported in upright position on the back of the person wearing the harness, as illustrated in Figure 1.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that there has been provided a shoulder harness in the nature of a gun sling, the gun sling comprising a stock-embracing strap 30, a pair of divergent suspension straps or over shoulder straps 11 and 12 secured to the stock-embracing strap 30 at a common location intermediate its ends and extending laterally therefrom in divergent relation to each other for extending upwardly and over the shoulder of the user, a cross strap 20 carried by and extending between the suspension straps 11 and 12 below the shoulders of the user, and divergent retaining or under shoulder straps 13 and 14 carried by and extending outwardly from the gun stock-embracing strap 30 for passage beneath the arms of the user and connection to the suspension straps to retain the gun stock-embracing strap on the person of the user, and a gun barrel engaging loop 25 carried by the cross strap 20 and extending outwardly therefrom in axial alignment with the gun stock embracing strap.

When it is desired to use the harness for towing or dragging a load, a D ring 34 is placed on the strap 30 and the ends of the strap 30 are buckled together. A dragline 35 has at one end a loop 36 for engaging the load and has at its other end a loop 37 engaging a ring 33 to which a snap hook 39 is secured by a swivel connection 40. The dragline is connected to the harness by snapping the book 39 into the D ring 34 and, when the loop end of the dragline is secured to a load, this arrangement enables the person wearing the harness to drag a heavy load through rough country where other means of transportation are not available.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore,

- Q to be considered in all respects as illustrative'and'not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the'appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which]: come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

We claim: f

'A' gun sling 'eemp'ri'singa gnnfsiqcie-enibracing strap, tpairiaf suseh n a .v and attached to said snspension straps inwardly of and adjacent to the divergent ends tnereeta retaining strap ositioned outwardly (wreath of sa'idsu'spension straps and having'nneena attached an said stock-embracing strap fat'the location of attachment of'the converging ends of said suspension straps, and means 'for'releasably A a, connecting theot'her end-of each retainingst'rap to' tlie divergent end of the adjacent one of said suspension said cross strap in axial alignment with said gun stockembracing strap, said gun stock-embracing strap having means at one end thereof for releasably securing the strap as a loop about the stock of a gun to be carried.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

